Sleeper Cell [Paperback]

Jeffrey Anderson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 5, 2005

When people start dying of unexplainable symptoms in Los Angeles, the government turns to Biodefense, a top-secret agency against bioterrorism. For the five members of the team, what they thought could never happen has come to pass: a nanotechnological weapon of mass destruction has been set loose. And one thing becomes all too clear to Biodefense's Alan Thorpe: the virus was developed and spread here--by a sleeper cell within our own borders--and no one knows how to stop it.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the start of Dr. Anderson's thought-provoking debut medical thriller, people are dying in Los Angeles from what appears to be a new, unknown virus. At the same time, a Web site in Indonesia warns of Allah's "nanodeath" holocaust: "His nanomachines cannot be stopped until they have destroyed every American man, woman, and child." A team of scientists spring into action to trace the origin of the bug, finding what appears to be "a microscopic machine that can reproduce itself... essentially an artificial virus." Casualties begin to mount while the team struggles to catch up; meanwhile, politicos in Washington make plans to use the attack as grounds for military action they had already been seeking to carry out. The author does a great job of building excitement by interweaving the more bookish, scientific passages with espionage involving embedded terrorists, counteragents and rogue university professors. If scenes involving Washington decision makers are oversimplified, they successfully show how cause and effect, in times of war, are almost never clearly connected. Anderson doesn't shy away from his story's natural climax (though his fictional president closes on an upbeat note, it's far from a happy ending), making this book much more cautionary than the average escapist thriller. Agent, Kimberly Whalen. (Apr.)
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Review

Anderson has done his homework...Sleeper Cell is chilling. (Stephen Coonts) A smart thriller that blurs the line between medical research and bioterrorism...timely provocative. (James Rollins, National Bestselling Author of Sandstorm)

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Berkley; First edition (April 5, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425199797
• ISBN-13: 978-0425199794
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,836,873 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jeffrey Anderson, MD PhD studied abstract mathematics and neuroscience at Northwestern University before completing residency and fellowship in neuroradiology at the University of Utah. Dr. Anderson is Director of Functional Imaging at the University of Utah, and runs the Brain Network Laboratory (www.brainnetworklab.com). He is author of 2 national bestselling science thrillers, and has been nominated for an International Thriller Award.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars chilling & all-too-plausible, May 8, 2005

By 

writer doc (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sleeper Cell (Paperback)

An Islamic sleeper cell in the US, releasing a two-step bio-terror attack on the US...a chilling and all-too-plausible scenario. Dr. Anderson does a masterful job of building suspense as an unconventional team of scientists races to discover the source of the threat and find a cure. A master-list of characters opens the book, and provides a handy reference to help keep track of who's who. Provides a cynical view of behind-the-scenes politics in which expedience and personal agenda supercede the search for truth and doing the "right thing".

Gripping, well-written, and well-researched. Kudos, Dr. Anderson!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars intriguing, April 9, 2005

By 

Thriller Frank (Novato, Ca USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sleeper Cell (Paperback)

In contrast to the first Amazon review I read, I found this book extremely intriguing and full of details that I need. Most authors water down their works to the point of being simplistic. Sleeper Cell is in the realm of a Tom Clancy novel. Full of details and content to keep my mind working. An exceptional work. Dr. Anderson has a bright future ahead of him. I cannot wait for his next book.

Frank

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scary, and plausible, April 23, 2005

By 

Daniel T. Ferry "Casual Reviewer" (Tampa, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sleeper Cell (Paperback)

What a really cool find this was. I'm naturally drawn to international espionage, and spy thrillers, but wanted a change. I stumbled over this one late one night at a bookstore, and decided to pick it up. It ended up being quite terse, for a freshman novelist!

Bio-terrorism. Something all people fear, in the backs of their minds. This book certainly brings it closer to the front! It makes me almost as fearful of bio-terror, as I am of terrorist bombers.

As other reviewers have said, there are a lot of characters, so character development isn't strong. However, I don't find it terribly confusing. I think in a bioterror novel like this, you need more main players to make it seem more realistic. This novel is quite realistic.

I read this one in 3 days. Like most novels, it takes a little while to get going. But, once it does, it MOVES! So, if you're looking for a realistic new type of novel, this book hits the spot!